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Milwaukee Mile Adds SAFER Barrier System For 2006 Season
by John Wiedemann – racingwisconsin.com
(Milwaukee – March 22, 2006) – Safety in racing is always a concern and
the Milwaukee Mile has taken a big step forward in protecting the competitors
at the historic facility. Work is underway to install the award winning SAFER
Barrier system in time for the 2006 season. The state-of-the-art safety
improvement will be added to the outer walls from the entrance to the exit of
each turn.
The Mile was granted approval by the Wisconsin State Building Commission to
provide $1.2 million in non-tax supported bonding for multiple improvements,
with $1 million tabbed for SAFER Barrier System installation. The funds
were approved by the state of Wisconsin in 2005, prior to the mid-December
approval of Milwaukee Mile Holdings LLC as the race promoter rights holder for
the next 18 years.
The installation is being done by Elrod Corporation, based in Mooresville,
Indiana. Elrod is the only licensed and approved manufacturer and
installer of the SAFER Barrier System. By contract, Elrod personnel will
be on-hand for at least the first weekend of competition at The Milwaukee
Mile, the Time Warner Cable Road Runner 225 Champ Car World Series race
weekend June 2-4.
Overseeing the track operations of this project are Gary Girard, chief
operating officer of The Milwaukee Mile and Jeff Jacobson, engineer for
Wisconsin State Fair Park.
“With virtually every weekend between May and September booked with track
activities – from karting to club racing to our four major race weekends –
the installation of the SAFER Barrier System provides a safer environment for
all of our participants racing on our oval track,” said Girard.
SAFER, standing for Steel and Foam Energy Reduction, is a barrier system that
was designed and developed by engineers from Midwest Roadside Safety Facility
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln starting in 1998. Consisting of
hollow steel impact plates welded together and polystyrene foam blocks placed
between the barrier and concrete wall, the system was first installed at the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway in time for the 2002 Indianapolis 500. Since
that time the barrier system has been refined and installed at most of the
oval speedways used by the IRL and NASCAR.
Racers and engineers alike agree that the SAFER Barrier System has been one of
the biggest breakthroughs in safety. On-board collision data recorders
in vehicles that have crashed with and without the SAFER Barrier System in
place have shown a 75% reduction in the g-force felt in the driver’s
compartment. Upon impact, the SAFER Barrier System absorbs a portion of
the kinetic energy released when a racecar makes contact with the wall. This
energy is dissipated along a longer portion of the wall, instead of propelling
the car back into traffic on the track.
Testimonials from drivers have been nothing but positive for the SAFER
system. “I never even got dazed,” Jimmy Spencer (NASCAR driver)
said. “It was a hard hit, too. The worst side you can hit with is the left
side. I didn't even get anything. It never even knocked the wind out of me.
There's no question that the (SAFER barriers) are working.”
Michael Waltrip exclaimed, “I can't emphasize how important it is for that
SAFER wall to be up there. Experience taught me I was fixing to get hurt, but
I went up there and hit that nice, cushiony wall and I didn't get
hurt.”
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28 foot wall barriers await placement in
turns 3 & 4. |
One of the straps attaching the
barrier to the wall. |
A worker from the Elrod Corporation
prepares
placement of the polystyrene foam blocks. |
The new "wall" in turn 1 of
the Milwaukee Mile. |
Polystyrene foam blocks placed every
5 feet
between the SAFER barrier and the concrete wall. |
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SAFER Barrier System at The Milwaukee Mile By The Numbers:
$1 million
The estimated cost of materials and installation of SAFER Barrier System at
The Milwaukee Mile
3,472 linear feet
The total length of hollow steel impact plate being installed in Turns 1-2 and
Turns 3-4
28 feet
The length of each barrier section
14 feet
The distance between cables and straps anchored to the concrete wall and the
steel tubing
17A, 19A, 23A
These part numbers differentiate the radius of the wall panels. The
varying radiuses reflect a better fit to the curvature of existing track walls
and the transition to/from the straightaways.
5 feet
The spacing between bundles of 2-inch thick extruded polystyrene sheets
stacked in a pyramid configuration for optimum collapsing effect.
5 x 8 = 40
There are five 8-inch x 8’inch hollow steel box tubes stacked and welded in
each 40-inch high panel
124
Pieces of 28-foot wall panel tube sections that splice together to comprise
the barrier
3070
Number of ASTM A325 galvanized bolts used in the wall splices that interlock
the wall panels
110
Gallons of Sherwin Williams Metal Latex B-42 Semi Gloss paint expected to be
used to paint the SAFER Barrier System
75-percent
On-board collision data recorders in vehicles that have crashed with and
without the SAFER Barrier System in place have show a 75% reduction in g-force
felt in the driver’s compartment
For additional information on Milwaukee Mile ticket packages and events, call
(414) 453-8277, or visit The Milwaukee Mile website located at www.milwaukeemile.com.
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